Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

As pleasurable as a perfect peach, Epitaph for a Peach tells the passionate story of one farmer's attempt to rescue one of the last truly sweet and juicy fruits from becoming obsolete in a world that increasingly values commerciality over quality. The story of Mas Masumoto's Sun Crest peaches begins on the day he turns the bulldozers away from his orchards and vows to give himself four seasons to find a home for the fruits of his labor.

At once a deeply personal story, a sharp commentary about the state of American agriculture, a lighthearted rhapsody of nature, and an intimate glimpse into the Asian American experience, Epitaph for a Peach is about saving a peach, saving a farm, saving a family, saving a way of life - it is a story about finding "home."

Review:

"The book follows Masumoto's yearlong attempt not just to keep his Sun Crest [peaches] alive but to 'farm a new way, working with and not against nature.' It seems clear to him from the start that 'this year will decide my fate,' and somehow, thanks largely to the quiet eloquence of his writing, we know our own destiny is somehow wrapped up in the future of those peaches, too." San Francisco Chronicle

Review:

"[A] wonderful writer....[Masumoto] uses his farm as Thoreau did his Walden Pond." Los Angeles Times

Synopsis:

A lyrical, sensuous and thoroughly engrossing memoir of one critical year in the life of an organic peach farmer, Epitaph for a Peach is "a delightful narrative . . . with poetic flair and a sense of humor" (Library Journal). Line drawings.

"Review"
by San Francisco Chronicle,
"The book follows Masumoto's yearlong attempt not just to keep his Sun Crest [peaches] alive but to 'farm a new way, working with and not against nature.' It seems clear to him from the start that 'this year will decide my fate,' and somehow, thanks largely to the quiet eloquence of his writing, we know our own destiny is somehow wrapped up in the future of those peaches, too."

"Synopsis"
by Harper Collins,
A lyrical, sensuous and thoroughly engrossing memoir of one critical year in the life of an organic peach farmer, Epitaph for a Peach is "a delightful narrative . . . with poetic flair and a sense of humor" (Library Journal). Line drawings.

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